Improviso Vir
by The Genius Mage
Summary: Lucas-centric drabble collection. Now with less angst! If anyone knows about the hardships of a hero, it's Lucas. Sometimes he wonders if this is all a dream he's having, and sooner or later, he'll have to wake up. He doesn't know if that's good or bad...
1. E m p t y

~*_Improviso Vir*~_

_Unexpected Hero_

_**You are now at the beginning of a Lucas-centric Drabble Collection. Updates are whenever I get a decent idea. Prepare for major angst, you have been warned.**_

_**~***~**_

The house felt…

Empty.

There was nothing there, either that, or what was really important was gone.

Lucas knew the answer. He knew more than anyone ever gave credit for. He wondered miserably what his mother had done, or his brother, to deserve a death as gruesome as they come.

Death my mauling, being ripped apart by a Drago.

He felt…dead inside. It had been two weeks after the terrible news; two weeks after their family had been ripped apart. Every heartbeat, every blink, every breath, brought about a new wave of pain so incredible he wanted to close his eyes and cry.

But the tears didn't come. They had stopped coming lately.

Lucas the crybaby, they called him. He didn't blame them. Not one bit. But he couldn't help being a mother's boy; he really did love his mom. Not that he didn't love his dad, but his mother was a very prominent figure in his eyes.

He turned his eyes to the roof, sniffling slightly. His legs were pulled up to his chest as he sat in an old rocking chair, arms wrapped around them, as his dark blue eyes scanned the room.

Everything was neat, but _too_ neat. It had the look of a place that people didn't live in. There was no laughter in the air, no voices. The only sounds was the crackling embers and the soft sound of his breath.

Boney, his pet dog was out with his father, Flint. His father could be gone until far into the night, hunting stubbornly for Claus.

There had been days when Lucas had hoped that his twin would just open the door, complaining about how his feet hurt, but after a week he knew that even though his brother had vanished without a trace, there was little hope he'd just walk in.

_Give up._

Lucas needed his father more than ever, but between his sheriff duties and looking for Claus, he rarely saw hat or scarf of his dad.

He closed his eyes again and didn't open them for some time.


	2. R a g e

~*_Improviso Vir*~_

_Unexpected Hero_

Lucas was walking home toward the path that curled up to his house when he overheard some kids talking nearby.

He stopped, turning his head.

Among the boys was Fuel, one of Claus's closest friends, and Butch. There was another kid he didn't recognize, and that kid was talking.

"He's just so _pathetic._ It's been a year and-"

Lucas already knew they were talking about him.

"He's still moaning and groaning over his mommy."

"It _was_ his mom, show some compassion." Fuel interjected. Even Butch nodded in agreement.

"Whatever, I'm sure his mom was probably a slut."

A long pause.

Then Lucas felt rage boil inside of him. It completely engulfed his mind before setting fire to his muscles. He shoved aside Butch, who had just turned to look, and tackled the boy to the ground.

He punched and bit like a wild animal, shouting that _he take it back! Take that lie back!_ He didn't know her, how _dare_ he just say that about his mother!

They told him later they tried to pull him off, but it didn't work. They say he was like a rabid wolf, and the boy was beaten pretty badly before Lucas felt his mind clear.

He had been beating up a boy whose name he didn't even know…But he had insulted his mom. Everyone in town knew Hinawa was a good mother; she was a well liked figure in Tazmily.

He pulled back, gasping, wondering why his vision was blurred. He wiped at his eyes, (even in his anger he _still_ cried!), and ran away.

The boy's parents felt so bad that their son had mocked a lady that had died by animal violence that they never brought up the issue, and Flint didn't either when he got home after hearing about it.

No, he didn't need to say anything, because he would have done the same thing.

Lucas remembers that his father had gone into a sorrow fueled rage after hearing his wife had died, and had attacked some of the citizens that had brought the news. He had been forgiven, and he never did it again, but Lucas realized that he had done the same thing, letting his temper explode before he could control it.

Bitterly, he lowered his head and sighed.

Like father like son.


	3. H a p p y

~*_Improviso Vir*~_

_Unexpected Hero_

Lucas grimaced, pulling himself from the chair he was sitting in to answer the door. Fuel was there, with a big grin on his face, untidy brown hair pointing everywhere as usual. He smiled.

"Hey, stop moping around! Let's get going!"

"Where?" He asked tiredly.

"My house! These weird Pig people just dropped off this box thing that's called a 'Happy Cube.'"

Lucas had heard of those. He raised one eyebrow. "You mean Happy Box?" They were supposed to improve your life or some nonsense.

Fuel bounced excitedly. "Let's go!" Before Lucas could react, he was dragged down the street and away from his house. Boney hauled himself out of his doghouse, padding along beside them.

"Bark, bark! (Where are we going?)" The dog asked, wagging his tail.

Lucas shrugged, lowering his voice. "We're going to look at a Happy Box or something."

Fuel snickered. "You talk to your dog?"

"Who doesn't?"

They entered the town, and the first thing Lucas noticed was the strangely dressed people in their stranger vehicles.

"What's going on?"

"Those Pig Masks people are going to remodel the village." Fuel explained. "Or so I hear. C'mon, this way!"

They dodged some of the strange people that Lucas instinctively didn't like, heading into the woods and toward Fuel's log cabin. Fuel opened the door to his house. His father, Lighter, was nowhere in sight, but Lucas saw there was a brown box on the table in the middle of the room. Fuel tore it open excitedly, pulling out a good sized pink box with a blank, grey screen.

"How do I turn this on?" He mumbled. "Here!" Flicking a switch on the device's side, the screen flashed on.

Lucas blinked. The device was giving out a strange, high pitched sound that danced on the edges of his hearing. It was somewhat pleasant, but it gave him chills as well. The screen had images he couldn't exactly make out, because it was covered in a veil of changing, glowing colors. He thought he could stare forever.

The shimmering Happy Box seemed to call him in, and Lucas and Fuel were silent for a moment.

"Whoa."

Boney whined at Fuel's comment. "(Lucas…)"

The box seemed to be making promises about some new life somewhere, but Lucas didn't seem to be able to-

Boney grabbed his leg and suddenly hauled him bodily away from the box. The dog wasn't a big one, but he was fast and strong. The brown canine dragged him from the room and into the yard outside, dropping him once the Box was behind.

Boney had his tail between his legs. "(I remember your father saying he didn't like 'that Box', but I didn't know what they were called. Those must be the thing he was talking about.)"

Lucas sat up, rubbing his leg. "Dad doesn't want me looking at them?"

When Boney nodded, the boy shrugged. "Okay. I had a bad feeling about them anyway. Fuel?" He raised his voice, but the kid didn't reply.

"Let's go." He mumbled. Boney cocked his head to the side.

"(Shouldn't we help him?)"

"It's in his house, there's not much we can do. Try if you want."

Boney raced into the house to get Fuel away from it, and Lucas looked at the sky.

_The Happy Box is glowing…_

_~***~_

_**Would you mind dropping a review? I welcome ideas; leave it in a review or PM me. =)**_


	4. C o n f u s i o n

~*_Improviso Vir*~_

_Unexpected Hero_

It had appeared their ruse wasn't going to work, the two guards outside of Club Titiboo were about to find out that, in fact, the hairy kid with the "hair disorder" was really a dog, Boney, in human clothes walking upright.

Just then, coming out of the elegant club, was a girl with reddish pink hair in a pink and white dress to match. She acted like she knew them, for some reason Lucas couldn't quite fathom, and let them into the club.

The music pumping through the room made the whole floor vibrate, and a puzzled Lucas and Boney approached the waitress who had let them in, someone named Violet, as one of the guards had said.

She was pretty, Lucas guessed, and he was almost certain he hadn't seen her somewhere before, if it wasn't for her fierce blue eyes, almost like some sort of wild animal. Like a bear. Or a tiger. He swore he had seen those before.

"Shh," she lowered her voice, glancing left and right. "Listen, but don't change the expression on your face."

Even more confused, Lucas nodded.

"I know I'm dressed in this crappy girly outfit," she continued. "But it's me! Kumatora!"

When he didn't show any signs of recognition, she sighed.

"We met at the Sunshine Forest, remember? I'll explain everything later." There was a pause, then "Violet" scowled. "Put on a smile, will ya?"

Lucas hurriedly smiled, and Boney just cocked his head to the side, looking at Kumatora.

"Okay, good. Okay! The next DCMC song is about to begin! Please go on in and find some empty seats," She continued in a louder tone." She giggled, and Lucas noticed it looked like the motion was killing her, because her eyes flashed.

Lucas shrugged, pushing through the double doors into the crowded room. It had a stage up front, with band equipment set up though no one was there. The dark tiled floors were covered in chairs and tables, and a muscular man in a Pig Mask outfit was up front, surrounded by girls.

Averting his eyes from that unpleasant sight, Lucas crossed his arms, searching the room for an unoccupied seat. A smiling waitress stood to the side of the door, looking at him expectedly, though he didn't really need anything.

"Wow, you're really late." She informed him. "The DCMC concert is already over; we're just waiting for the encore."

Lucas just found a seat, and Kumatora came back to inform him after the concert was over, he should hang out in the lobby, she'd find him.

"Don't change your expression you idiot!" She hissed, and Lucas quickly switched back to a calm expression from his confused one. She then asked what he wanted to drink, and he just replied "water".

Someone made a raspberry sound, and Lucas recognized Thomas as he turned around. "Oh, hey there, Lucas! I was wondering who would order water in a place like this! I mean come on, water?" Another raspberry. "One Fizzy Soda here for the boy, and a Big City Cola for his dog like friend!"

Kumatora shrugged, reciting the order before walking off. Lucas noticed how her sharp eyes flicked to Thomas with something like irritation.

"Hey, what were you and Violet talking about? I never knew you were such a ladies' man!" Thomas continued, and Lucas rolled his eyes, blushing.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed and redirected themselves onto the stage as five men began to play their instruments.

It wasn't until later on, when he found Kumatora after the show, that she informed him that the bass player was, in fact, her friend Duster, whom apparently had something important with him. And he had amnesia.

All Lucas could say to these events was a startled, "What?"

~***~

_**I apologize for this one, but I wanted to break up the angst a bit with this little story.**_

_**I intend to have a non angst one at least every three chapters, but there might be more cheerful or lighthearted ones all in a row, depends on inspiration.**_

_**My inspiration comes from single word emotions, so if you have an idea let me know.**_

_**Okay, review!**_


	5. E x h a u s t i o n

~*_Improviso Vir*~_

_Unexpected Hero_

Lucas didn't think he had ever been this tired before.

Not during the night Mom had died, not during the moment he had woke up from the sunflower field after his desperate jump to touch the angelic form of his mother.

Not during his cram session with Fuel for school.

Nothing compared to the sheer exhaustion he felt. It was like lead weights were on his chest, shoulders, and feet. He was kneeling over, struggling to get to his feet.

Around him, Kumatora, Duster, and Boney were doing the same. They stumbled forward, Kumatora's steps a little more steady than the others, and they looked down on Lucas with both scared and hopeful eyes.

The boy, the boy that had grown up so much, lifted his eyes to each of them in turn. They saw, in his blue gaze, the intelligence of a leader, the strength of hero, the patience of a saint. The boy who hadn't grown up in years had suddenly become a man over their adventure.

Lucas sometimes wonders how this all happened, and if it was good or bad. Was it good that Claus was dead once again, right after he had just seen him, right after his eyes had cleared of the dead, soulless stare he had once had?

Was it good that he had friends now, an adventure was about to end, and the world would be reborn instead of being controlled by the pathetic man in the pod behind them, trapped forever?

Sometimes Lucas wonders, and now was one of those moments.

Flint's voice, rough, as always, came to his son's ears.

"Lucas, it's time."

Did he dare pull the Needle? The same Needle Claus was going to pull? He stared down blankly at his dead brother's body, a single tear in his eyes but not yet shedding.

Kumatora said something, but Lucas ignored it.

So much had happened, but he was just…fatigued. He had never been this weary before. Blackness encroached on his vision, and nothing seemed to stand still. Everything swam and ducked as if to avoid his gaze, and Lucas just shook his head and struggled to stand up, laying down his brother's head gently.

He wrapped his fingers around the handle, feeling the smooth, electrical energy build up from within. He tugged, holding it above his head briefly before letting go. The Needle seemed to fly.

Flash!

In a brilliant streak of light, the Needle vanished into the sky; the darkness that crackled around them in their miserable island out here in the nothingness seemed to roar in agony as the Needle was removed.

The ground shook viciously, and when Lucas looked up, he realized something was talking to him. He struggled for balance, hearing the voice in his mind. The voice was like a choir, singing in angelic tones but was all one clear, understandable voice despite the impressive echo.

_You called?_

Lucas hung on to a spire, closing his eyes tight.

_You pick rebirth__, _the voice continued. The voice of the Dragon, Lucas realized. _Very well, I shall do as you command._

Was that a boy voice or a girl voice? Lucas couldn't tell.

Fire howled, the winds screeched, everything was going insane.

Was it a good move to pull the Needle, he asked himself? Was it? With Pokey gone maybe it wouldn't have mattered anymore…

Lucas saw, in his mind's eye, a creature looking at him. He saw a vaguely serpent like figure before it retreated, and then all he saw was its eyes.

The eyes were AMAZING.

They were circle, like all eyes, but the pupils and the colors within changed constantly. One second it was a purple, square shaped pupil in a black background, the next second the pupil was green, triangle shaped, and in a pink background. The constantly changing eyes were mesmerizing, and Lucas felt drawn to those eyes.

But that wasn't what troubled him.

Was it possible, that instead of saving the world, Lucas had doomed it?

The pressure of a hero is immense, and he wonders now if he should have decided something so significant all alone.

What happens now?

The unspoken question hung in the air, and Lucas didn't know what to say to his friends, whose scared eyes looked at him, begging for answers.

~***~

_**Woo, thanks to Huggawugga2 for the ideas, I plan on continuing the Dragon bit later on.**_

_**Thanks everyone else for the reviews too, this drabble collection will now have less angst!  
If that's bad, let me know for more sadness dribble, otherwise, review!**_


	6. A c c e p t a n c e

~*_Improviso Vir*~_

_Unexpected Hero_

Often, Lucas found himself unable to sleep.

His dreams were haunted with nightmare images of someone _calling_.

What did they want? Help? Guidance? Someone needed to explain!

"How can I help you?" He'd cry out into the darkness. The figure would turn to look at him with sad blue eyes and _beg_ for death. Death was his only escape.

He would call out to him in dreams-or were they nightmares-and he wasn't sure what to _do_.

_The Dragon send me guidance… _He'd pray sometimes tiredly.

It was during one of those sleepless nights that Lucas lay awake, his eyes staring fixedly out at the river in front of them. Duster was snoring loudly, laying face first in the grass, and Boney was curled up beside him.

Kumatora was…somewhere. She went places. Lucas guesses the lost of the Magypsies affected her more than she let anyone see. But that was okay, he wouldn't pry.

It was there amongst the trees that he heard the earth call to him. Sometimes he imagines he can hear it: A sort of light, bell tone that plays different songs in different locations. He's insane, but sometimes he can see pictures. He doesn't know what to do, and so he judges it best to do nothing.

Lucas reaches out to grab a pebble, levitating it off of his hand, and throwing it in a skipping line across the river. It lands halfway across the wide water with a splash.

A heavy pair of footsteps behind him and Lucas knows those steps. Surprisingly, it wasn't Duster that walked with that quick, loud pace, it was actually Kumatora. A thief wouldn't survive long walking like that. Lucas knew his friends well, and the heavy steps meant she was angry.

This was often.

"Something bothering you?" He murmured, looking over his shoulder. He kept his position of his legs drawn up to his chest.

The moonlight reflected off of her sharp eyes as she studied him, then with a tired groan she stomped back up to him and dropped down, removing her gloves to trail her fingers through the water.

"Life sucks," she informed him with a sigh.

"That's often. No one knows more so than me." He offered her a wan smile, and she rolled her eyes.

"So melodramatic, I just say these things to let out some steam."

Lucas didn't reply he just watched her with a silent, thoughtful look. Kumatora lifted her eyes, then asked, "What're you up for, anyway?"

"Can't sleep."

"Nightmares?" She tugged absentmindedly at a strand of her hair. A chill wind started and tugged the back of her hood up on her jacket, making it flip onto her head.

Lucas snickered, wrapping his arms around himself, wondering why the heck he wore a T-shirt sometimes. "Yeah, nightmares. No big deal."

Kumatora yanked her hood off, muttering a curse under her breath, she then put her gloves back on and sat back on her hands. "Same. Not that I'm scared, but those things just wake you up and next thing you know, you're so jumped up from it you can't get back to sleep." She added hastily.

Lucas let the obvious lie pass, dipping his head to the side like an inquisitive bird. "You miss them," he stated.

Kumatora growled from between her teeth, once again reminding him of a bear…or a tiger. It was hard to say which. She surprised him by saying, "Of course I do."

Lucas raised his eyebrows.

"Hell yeah," she continued, punching the ground furiously. "I really miss them sometimes, but hey, they seemed happy to go, so to hell with it! I'm glad they're pleased, wherever they are."

"Wish it was that easy for me."

"Gotta be strong, Lucas." She replied, calming down slightly now. To ease the tension, Lucas asked her if she was a Magypsy too.

"Being raised by one doesn't make me one, at least, I hope." She snapped, crossing her arms. "As if I want to guard a Needle all my immortal life. Anyway, I'm not immortal like them, nor do I look like a cross dressing boy."

Considering some of the things he had heard on her, Lucas decided not to pursue the topic. "Let's get some rest," he suggested. "Or at least lie down."

"Go ahead, I'm fine." Kumatora snorted, obviously not taking orders from him.

"Night then, Kumatora."

"Hmm." She hummed in response, watching the stars. He thought her eyes looked a little wet, but maybe it was his imagination.

The boy settled back near Boney, looking at the stars above. He thought back to all of the folklore on the Dragon he had heard, and wondered if she was up there, in the stars, with Claus.

_I need to be like Kumatora,_ Lucas thought. _Accept I can't change certain things, be at least mildly happy, learn to let things go, and…curse out everything that irritates me. _Here he laughed a bit, and Kumatora looked at him from her position near the river, her expression quizzical.

Kumatora was the guard for the night, not going back to sleep, and she didn't quite have the heart to wake up her sleeping friends as the blackness was chased away by the sun, like a great phoenix that rose from its ashes every night, and burned again to nothing but glittering white embers every sunset.

Throughout the night, Kumatora didn't shed a tear. And neither did he.

~***~

_**I might change from just emotions to one word themes, for example, "star" and "family".**_

_**Anyway, if I do that, these will stop being so bad. I can't do Mother 3 well so if you don't mind, thank you very much, review!**_

_**Lucas "hearing the earth" is a minor reference to Ness, in case it wasn't obvious.**_


	7. W o n d e r

~*_Improviso Vir*~_

_Unexpected Hero_

"For crying out loud, just put the rungs in!"

"I _told_ you, it's too rocky, they'll never go in all the way. We could fall to our deaths!"

Duster and Kumatora were arguing over the best way to scale the side of the mountain. They could either go straight up, or try to find a side path. The mountain should swoop down to the other side of the forest they needed to go to, and Lucas thought he had never seen the two yelling more heatedly than they were now.

Lucas sighed, leaning back in the grass, deciding not to bother them. Not far to his right, Boney was chatting with one of the frogs. The great roots of the tree near him rose out of the ground, twisting and arching above and around him, forming a sort of loose cage.

Shrugging, Lucas closed his eyes and tried to rest for a bit, careful not to far too deep into slumber in case Kumatora yelled at him for sleeping.

There, hovering between being consciousness and asleep, he thought he heard something.

Now, usually, this wasn't the first time he heard things. The kid figured it had something to do with his PSI powers, and maybe he was hearing his friends' voices or something.

He really didn't know, and it didn't seem to be doing any harm. But here, lying beside a great oak tree that towered above their heads, Lucas _knew_ he heard something.

It sounded like the tree was swishing in the wind, but no wind was playing through its branches. What then? The noise stopped sounding like the wind and started sounding more and more like a song. It continued, slow, calm, with what sounded like eight measured beats.

Behind his closed lids, Lucas fancied he saw sunflowers. The light was dancing through them, turning them into pure gold, and everywhere the song continued to play.

_Soft. Slow._

The melody made Lucas strangely energized, but strangely he was reluctant to open his eyes or move at all. He just wanted to listen to the tune some more.

"Lucas!"

Luckily, the song had calmed him enough to the point he didn't jump, he just opened his eyes, slowly looking at Kumatora. "Are we ready now?"

She crossed her arms. "Besides sleeping, why don't you try to help us figure out how to get up there?" She jerked her thumb over her shoulder and to cliff ridge above them.

Lucas stood up, and he faintly heard the song still playing, it was carried around him by the wind and even the very earth. He swore each beat went in unison with his heart, and the ground seemed to even pulse with the song.

Staring up at the great sky oak, its branches fanning across the heavens, Lucas smiled faintly. "Have Duster climb this tree, it looks sturdy enough. I think the rock is smoother nearer to the top, and there are some smaller ledges along the way.

Duster craned his neck up. "Well, what do you know, he's right." The thief started climbing the tree, carefully testing each branch, and as he scaled to the top of the oak Kumatora looked at Lucas curiously.

"How did ya know to use the tree?" She rolled her eyes. "If Duster and I hadn't been arguing we coulda figured this out ourselves."

"Would you believe me if I said the tree told me?" He teased, but really he was dead serious. The song was almost completely gone now, and he felt a little disappointed.

Kumatora snorted, beginning to climb the tree after Duster, and didn't reply.

"I'll take that as a no." Lucas laughed, going after her. Boney barked excitedly and leaped up, digging his claws into the bark and scrambling upwards.

The tree reached a little more than halfway up the cliff side, and Lucas had been correct about the stone smoothing the nearer you got to the top. Duster managed to fasten some rungs to the wall, and afterwards the friends lay resting on the top of the cliff.

"Let's keep going," Lucas said after a while, quickly marking the location of the tree on his map. He thought, right before they prepared to leave, the wind blew a voice to his ears.

_Now you understand._

~***~

_**This was probably really weird. I'm not sure how Ness listens to the earth or whatever but this is how Lucas does it. In case you're wondering, they're walking in random areas. I like to think the game creators don't want you walking the actual expanse of the forest, and it actually takes much longer to go from one end of a massive landscape to the other.**_

_**Want to review? I forgot to say so earlier, but flames will be used by Kumatora to fry Pig Masks.**_


	8. D i s b e l i e f

~*_Improviso Vir*~_

_Unexpected Hero_

Lucas opened his eyes, struggling to his feet.

All around him, in great, unending waves of yellow and green, were sunflowers. They waved in the breeze, like the ocean, petals occasionally coming loose and flying away with the wind. The sweet scent swirled all around him, and Lucas found it strangely relaxing. The sky, cloudless and blue, blanketed the entire field. The sun cast down glittering bands of golden light.

Remembering his fall from the tower, he looked around, searching for signs of his friends. All he saw up ahead was Boney, and he struggled through the thick foliage to his dog.

It was so heavy with the big yellow flows and thick green stems that Lucas couldn't run; he was forced to do a slow trot as he threaded their expanse. Petals caressed his face as he passed, and he suddenly felt like this was a place of magic, wonder, and most importantly _peace._

Lucas hadn't had peace in a long time. Not inner peace.

Boney barked excitedly, bounding away through the fields. Lucas followed him, when suddenly…

His breath caught, and for a moment he spied an ethereal form in an all-too-familiar red dress gliding through the mesh of sunflowers.

Then it was gone.

Rubbing his eyes and deciding the fall must have jarred him pretty badly, the boy set off again. Not long into the fields, he saw the figure again.

His throat ached, and his heart did too, and the poor boy could do nothing but stare as his mother turned to face him.

And smiled.

"Mom?" Lucas choked out. The ghost nodded, turning around silently and walking off again. Shoving past the thick green stems the poor boy cried out once again, "Mom!"

They had reached the edges of the sunflower ledge, where there was a patch of grass devoid of flora before the cliff fell steeply away and ended in a drop to the ground below. Lucas swallowed nervously, watching Boney whom was prancing around near the edges. The dog seemed to hear something, his ears pricked and swiveled forward sharply in surprise.

Suddenly, with a joyful bark, the dog sprang off the ledge. Lucas was too stunned to do anything, and then he looked up at his still silent mother, whom was _standing in the clouds._

"Mom…I've missed you so much." Lucas felt tears in his eyes, but they had yet to shed. His mother just blinked sadly at him, just waiting for something. "Say something, please!"

"_It's not yet your time, Lucas._"

The boy's heart was thundering so loud he was certain it would burst from his chest and down the cliff like Boney had.

Despite everything, Lucas was so overcome with a desperate longing for his mother that he, too, mimicked Boney and leaped toward his mother.

For a moment he hung in the air, hand extended, and he felt the light, cool touch of his mother's hand on his. She seemed to be apologizing for something.

Afterwards, he fell straight down.

~***~

_**I'm sure everyone's done this part before.**_


	9. D e s p a i r

~*_Improviso Vir*~_

_Unexpected Hero_

_Damn it._

The curse word, the swear, was unusual from the boy. But Lucas didn't care. He just wanted the words to release just a little of the pent up frustration he was feeling.

Claus. He had been _there. Right there._ And upon seeing his dear brother it hurt more than a thousand hornet stings to see Claus not saying a word. Not changing his expression at all. Lucas would have welcomed hateful sneers and angry shouting, but not this terrible stillness that had settled across his twin.

No. Just…no. To Lucas, it was almost like a fantasy had just come to an end. The hero was supposed to save everyone, and yet…here was Claus, dying on his lap as he cradled his poor brother's head. He missed him already, and those last few sentences rang in his head and echoed in his ears. The sorrow and confusion, the pain and hurt, was so great that the boy was certain…these feelings would have to expel themselves _somehow_. Lucas, caught in the throes of his own despair, imagined that the bolts of strange flashing light that danced through the darkness around the cliff edges was some sort of manifestation of the horror he was feeling.

Claus was almost motionless, his chest rising fractionally. Lucas knew there was no point in summoning his energy; the PK couldn't help him now. Nothing could. Tears leaped to the corners of his eyes.

_Damn…What's the point of having these powers, the ability to listen to things, to see things, and to do things no one else can if it doesn't matter in the end?_

There were so many things power could do, but if it couldn't protect his friends and family then Lucas didn't want it. He was aware of Kumatora and the others stirring around him, but ignored it.

If his life was like a legend, a fantasy, this wouldn't have happened. Claus would have been perfectly fine, Lucas would have broken the control Pokey had had on his twin and together they could have pulled the last Needle.

There was always a happily ever after.

But reality had stepped in, and the cruel truth was that Claus was once again dead. And Lucas knew this, and he understood, but deep inside he felt like someone had raked claws across his heart.

It had just opened, after all. A desperate hope that he could free Claus and then, at least, his dear brother would be alive. But no. Whatever Gods existed up there, or down there, really didn't give a darn about how terrible they were making his life. Lucas laid down Claus gently, and he struggled to contain himself, thin shoulders shaking, as he felt Claus pass on.

It was bad enough thinking Flint had been dead after taking Claus's-the Masked Man's-attack. But he wasn't. That was some small solace, at least.

The dreadful silence continued, no one saying anything. The light flickered fitfully again, bolts shooting through the dark mist, and for one moment Lucas wanted to _kill._ The urge sent fire into his veins and made his breathing even harsher and he slammed a fist onto the ground. Pokey did this. He ruined Nowhere Islands, perfect as it had been, with his stupid technology and strange devices that did so many things.

Because the childish man thought himself a King. An emperor. And only with the forced help of Dr. Andonuts did he even manage to do half of this, with monsters like the Ultimate Chimera on his side.

And his own brother, acting as a robotic slave. Lucas touched the strange weapon on his brother's arm, and he still didn't know if the arm was replaced or if it was simply fitted around Claus's hand. The helmet lay discarded to the side of them, and it was stained with signs of battle and wear.

Lucas thought privately to himself that, really, if the world ended from him pulling the last Needle, it couldn't possibly be any worse than his life right now.

Might be better, actually.

Lucas tilted his head up to look at the rocky ceiling, where up above New Pork City bustled about. He stared so hard that he swore he could almost see past the dark stone and at the many people above, all counting on what he did now.

His heart would be reflected into the Dragon's, and to be honest he hoped the Needles he had pulled so far overpowered the darkness that resided in Claus's heart. No, not Claus's. With his brother having had been little more than a robot, (he recalled bitterly Pokey's jibes on "his little robot slave"), that darkness would have to come from the guy controlling him.

The soul of a man that saw the world as his toy box obviously didn't need a great powerful being like the Dragon under his control.

And Lucas looked at the Needle now, and he knew what he had to do. The Magypsies, his family and friends, their sacrifices would be for nothing if he didn't sign off his story with six desperately hopeful words that he poured into the Dragon's soul with all of the strength in his young, tired, broken and beaten heart.

_And they lived happily ever after._

~***~

_**This was…okay I guess. Just a spur of the moment thing.**_


	10. W o r t h

~*_Improviso Vir*~_

_Unexpected Hero_

Life, Lucas thought, was like a great cliff ledge.

This idea had come from his journey with Duster, Boney, and Kumatora. They were walking over the mountains, and it dropped heavily to the left of them while a sheer wall rose to the right. Kumatora was leading the way now, carefully testing each step. Boney brought up the rear and Lucas was behind Duster, whom was after the leading Princess. The sky was so close, and the clouds so near, that the boy swore he could jump out and grab them.

He grimaced, thinking of the sunflower field, but said nothing as they crossed the treacherous mountain path.

Life was a cliff ledge, very much so indeed, due to the simple reason that many people seemed to hurl themselves off it without a second thought. They say that if everyone jumped off a bridge, would you do it? Well, with life, it seemed that not enough people jumped the bridge.

Lucas looked down at the great drop, a single pebble clattering noisily downward. Some people had lives worth jumping for. It wasn't a question whether or not you would survive the fall, but whether it was worth it to jump the cliff ledge at all. People often just peeked over the edges, but whether or not they deemed it worthy to hurl themselves from the safety-and reclusiveness-of the ledge and into the world below made all the difference.

Lucas understood that now, and as he walked, he wondered if someone had been waiting for him to jump his own cliff ledge. And failing to do so, someone had simply shoved him instead.

He felt like he was looking a great destiny in the eyes, eyes like changing rainbows, and that someone was waiting for him to fall.

Or maybe to fly.

~***~

**_!This drabble is unique in the fact that the cliff ledge concept is by my friend, Tsukikitty. But it was just so awesome I had to do something on it._**

**_In return of the shortness of this chapter, I'll upload another._**


	11. S m i l e

~*_Improviso Vir*~_

_Unexpected Hero_

Lucas watched silently as the Pigmasks rearranged themselves into neat columns. One tripped clumsily and scrambled to his feet. The others let out a cacophony of excited squeals as a figure prowled down their ranks.

_This must be the man I was mistaken for_, Lucas thought. The man couldn't have been much taller than him, but his body had a strong, rigid look. A gray helmet rested on his head, the dark visor obscuring his eyes. He didn't speak, didn't smile, and didn't do anything. He just walked stiffly but mutely down the ranks of Pork Soldiers.

He stopped now, not far from Lucas. Watching the strange man, Lucas felt a buzzing in his head, his forehead, as the Magypsies had once told him some called his "third eye", the sight of inner power. Lucas heard laughter, familiar but at the moment impossible to tell whom it belonged to.

Lucas felt a silent plea for help. It tore at his heart and he wondered if there was anything he could do for it. The man slowly, deliberately, drew his strange sword and pointed it at the friends. Lucas positioned himself in front of his friends, and closed his eyes as the lightning blasted toward them.

It was caught, and reflected back at the man by the Badge. The Masked Man skidded backwards, and the Pigmasks let out cries of surprise. Shaking himself, still silent, the Masked Man rose slowly and paced menacingly toward them.

"(That's the Commander of the Pigmasks,)" Boney growled, his fur ruffling around his back and shoulders. Kumatora snorted, not caring, and Duster repositioned himself, throwing his weight on his good leg.

The Masked Man paused in front of them, still unhurried, and Lucas saw just one thing before he prepared to attack. One thing before he went from slow and calm to a whirlwind of raging, silent fire.

Lucas saw the Masked Man smile.

~****~

_**Sorry for these short ones, hehe. I feel like I'll drag it out unnecessarily.**_


	12. F a m i l i a r

~*_Improviso Vir*~_

_Unexpected Hero_

It was only in these crushing shadows that Lucas felt any peace at all.

Sleep. Dear, warm sleep. Where he could float between heaven and hell, between good and evil, for once ignoring everything around him. Sleep was becoming harder and harder to find, and his journey with the others wasn't making it any easier.

Lucas turned over in bed-for once they had a hotel-and that's when he heard a voice in his ear.

"_Well gee Lucas. I'm a servant to a pig king and you're complaining about walking so far today."_

The boy stirred, knowing the voice was familiar. But in his dream Lucas was having trouble gripping on to anything.

In the waking world, Lucas's hands glowed faintly with PSI he didn't know was activated.

"_Who's there?"_

"_Me." _The other voice answered with a snicker. So achingly recognizable, but too deep and strangely metallic to be who he had thought it was.

"_Who's me?"_

"_You."_

Lucas felt, distantly, as if from someone else far away, amusement and annoyance. It was disorienting, it was almost like he was sensing two people at once. The portion of annoyance was coming from someone working through the other person, or talking through the other person. The amusement was all the voice's though.

"_No really Lucas, I need help."_

Lucas shifted. _"How?"_

"_Find the Needles, and pull them, quick! Get up after you've rested a bit, you've still got stuff to do!"_

"_Wait-a name. What's your name, and how do you know mine?"_

Sadness. So deep and unending, like the pain he distinctly felt from the other person, that Lucas felt like he was suffocating in the terrible blackness that was so different from the solid warmth of his conscious dreams.

"_You know my name…right?" _Soft. Pleading. A silent _forget-me-not._

Then the sensation faded.

And in the waking world, Lucas's hands stopped glowing.

~***~

_**Prepare for a lot more of these short ones, some of these don't need to be "long".**_


	13. T i t l e s

~*_Improviso Vir*~_

_Unexpected Hero_

Lucas, he had always been the youngest twin. The crybaby. It was a title he was used to, wore it like a second skin. Mama's boy. He didn't really care, didn't see what was so bad about it.

Really. He didn't get it. And thus didn't let it bother him.

So what if he happened to hang out with his mother more? So what if he wasn't into wrestling or play fighting, Dodgeball or sports? What was wrong with staying home and helping to cook and clean?

Sissy boy, they said. Well _fine_, they could call him what they wanted. Lucas loved being outside as much as the next boy, but he would rather go out with Claus if the other kids were present.

Not that he was scared…

Lucas just happened to love his mother dearly. He'd do anything for her. Hinawa was his best friend, in a sense. He could tell her anything, and she wouldn't laugh or mock him. His mother…she'd offer advice and protection and hold him when the world outside seemed too dark or barren or cold.

Lucas, the mama's boy.

Lucas, the sissy.

Lucas, the crybaby.

Lucas the youngest twin.

To his mother, he was simply "Lucas" or "Honey" or "Dear", and these were names he didn't mind taking. His mom, his mother, she never judged him. That was all Lucas could really ask for. That was all he really wanted.

There was a verse from somewhere, he had forgotten where. "Thou shall not judge" or something like that. People did anyway, of course, but whoever had written that must have been really angry, Lucas thought, because judging went on everywhere.

~***~

_**I know, not very good. Don't need to mention it. I just wanted to write something here to show I hadn't forgotten this little collection.**_


	14. S t r u g g l i n g

~*_Improviso Vir*~_

_Unexpected Hero_

_Lucas ran behind Claus, stumbling over his own feet and he kept thinking to himself all the while, _Why am I so clumsy?!_ Compared to Claus, the younger twin felt like a colt trying to keep up with a stallion. He shouted for his brother to slow down, but of course he was too into their game of Chicken Chase to even _consider_ such a thing. A deep unhappiness welled up inside of him and he prayed to the heavens that he'd not always be so far behind Claus. That one day, _he'd_ lead._

Lucas narrowed his eyes, irritation boiling within him, as the Masked Man lifted his head and seemed to _smile_. That was yet _another_ Needle he had gotten before him! Why was he always falling behind this robotic nuisance?

It was clear, really. The Pigmask Commander had all sorts of things at hand, from tanks to airships, and he lacked for nothing. The boy from a shattered family—its survivors filled with shattered hearts—had nothing but his own wits to get him where he needed to go.

"It's okay, Lucas," Duster assured him as the Masked Man _smirked_ and turned away.

No, it wasn't okay. Because to him the feeling was uncomfortably familiar, as if he was used to being behind someone and struggling to catch up.

* * *

_**Fanfiction has removed my pagebreakers for some reason! The things I use to seperate my ANs from the story. Crap. Anyway, I'm replaying Mother 3 in an effort to get back into this one-shot collection, we'll see if I can update faster.**_


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